lironp
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Posts posted by lironp
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I've had my selmi legend for 2 years now, and when I bought it I also bought the enrobing line but have always been too terrified to use it, mostly because I don't know how to clean and store it between usages-
Do you clean off all the chocolate every time? If not, how do you start it without causing damage to the chains? Any other advice before I dive in?
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I've been having some issue with large shapes not coming out as shiny as smaller ones-
I usually use chef jungstedt dome mold, temper CB at 32 with silk from EZTemper, and spray at 32. Use my selmi for shelling , at 31.2C , room temp is 19-20C.
I have no problem with my regular dome shapes, but recently have been doing large hearts and large easter eggs, and it just doesn't come out as shiny as the smaller shapes. Would you change anything in the process? -
Any suggestions for amount of chocolates to bring for the tasting? Also, will anyone be in the tomric event on Thursday?
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48 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:
Around 9 am.
Someone want to put together an chat group of some sort? It's not in my skill set.
I can create a WhatsApp group if that works? Ill add whoever dms me their phone number
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@Kerry Beali am happy to demo any of the design techniques i use for my store if there is interest. Also, in my previous life in eguullet there was a lot of interest in a whipped ganache i had learned that i am happy to share the recipe for
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11 hours ago, kimmiq said:
i want to attend!
yessssss!!!!
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Amazing news and i am in!!
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On 1/27/2022 at 1:10 AM, Louise nadine brill said:
Liron! How nice to see you here 😁 I am surprised we didn’t run into each other here before the FB groups were started. My bonbon education is almost all from egullet University…particularly from @Jim D , @Kerry Beal, @pastrygirl. We talked about how jealous I was that you got the Fujispray…and I am curious how you resolved the overspray and or cocoa butter cloud issues. I have managed surprisingly well with my Iwatas and Grex but during high production times I am forever cursing them, for clogging up. I’d also love to know which setup you bought. I know @Kerry Beal had created a chocolatier’s list with the folks at Fujispray several years ago. Wondering if it is still the same.
So great to see ypu here @Louise nadine brill!! I started out with chocolate and egullet about 15 years ago when i lived in Israel, then moved to the US and was lucky enough to attend a couple of the in person workshops.
OVer the years since, 2 kids, a full time job in software and work visa issues - i completely stopped for a while. After the pandemic started, instead of hoarding toilet paper and baking sourdough bread (well actually in addition 🤣), i went back to chocolate making, and started selling on a very small scale. Things took off, and i ended up quitting my software job and pursuing this full time , and back to this forum with old friends
regarding fuji, which is amazing- i got the q4 setup, and switched the aircap to 0.8 instead of the one it came with. Also bought the lightweight hose (note that it connects to the regular hose, doesn't replace it 🤣). Jessica from Bliss was lovely enough to share her shopping list with me (not sure what her egullet user is?) , I can send it to you if you like?
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On 11/2/2021 at 1:45 PM, Jim D. said:
Oh, it seems someone forgot to tell you about an "unadvertised feature" of the Fuji--painting of the spray room is automatic.
🤣🤣🤣 We have a nice purple splatter all over now, my husband is ready to kill me!
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On 10/25/2021 at 2:48 PM, CharTruff said:
Liron,
I recently was trying to decide between Fuji system and all the other types of spray gun. I ended up buying an Iwata's spray gun similar to the one that Melissa has. Ultimately the reason why I bought the Iwata comes down to 2 things: 1) my shared kitchen has a huge air compressor; so it's one less thing to buy, and 2) I wanted to have a system that would allow me to connect a regular air gun. (I live in an area where we notoriously have hard water. So I would need to dry my molds right after it's washed. )
The Iwata's spray gun is about $300. But regardless what you buy, there's going to be a big learning curve in adjusting between airbrush and spray gun. And you'll have to figure out, the right amount of pressure that you need to be efficient in your process while limiting the overspray. As everyone have mentioned, the spray gun will have more overspray. I have seen Melissa do a splatter spray with her Iwata. And I have yet to figure out the pressure and how small the opening needs to be for the air nozzle.
Lastly you would need to invest in some kind of spray booth, if you don't have one already.
Good luck!
Thank you! I ended up getting the fuji- i do a lot of detailed work with my grex, so plan on keeping them both around. Having the fuji connected to the turbine is actually an advantage for me so i dont need to switch between airbrush and spray gun. I managed to splatter with it, just haven't manage to not paint the entire room yet 🤣
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On 10/25/2021 at 11:12 AM, Jim D. said:
As I said, I may be missing something (we won't explore all the possible meanings of that statement). I was so unaccustomed to spraying under the substantial pressure of the Fuji that I didn't tamper with anything about the initial setup (including, obviously, the nut at the top of the spray gun). So, @lironp, please note this correction to my pros and cons of the Fuji. I will say, however, that screwing off the cap of the cup holding the cocoa butter does take longer than simply pulling off the cap of the cup on the Grex (or any airbrush). IMHO, the only way to get really fast coverage of a mold is with a spray gun. I have a cheap one that works well and is less complicated than the Fuji, and people (such as Melissa Coppel) like the SATA, but I think the Fuji is the best in terms of quality. Just be prepared to place more frequent orders with Chef Rubber (or your supplier of choice for colored cocoa butter).
I just got my new fuji
i have no problem opening the cap, so it may be something that can be adjusted?
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Hi everyone! Up until now, with the helpof the wonderful people in this thread i have been using the grex airbrush with a 0.7 needle and it has been great.
Now, with holiday production, i find myself needing something faster, and am considering the fuji spray gun which seems liie it is most recommended here, I just had a few questions-
1. I read here that it isnt very good at gradient- is that a learning curve, or a real issue?
2. What is the recommended needle to use with the q4 system- i see contradicting recommendations between the smallest (0.8 i believe), and around double that (1.6?)?
3. Right now with my airbrush, i need to reheat it every 2 molds. How often does one need to reheat the fuji?
Thank you!
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On 12/2/2020 at 9:29 PM, curls said:
Dishwasher!!!? A standard household one or something special for moulds? Are you using soap? If so, what kind?
A standard house dishwasher with regular soap. Melissa Coppel blew my mnid in her class saying there is no reason not to do that, and I completely agree.
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On 12/2/2020 at 5:02 PM, keychris said:
The first sentence says that you don't temper then the second sentence says you do 😛
lol, I meant not the traditional way 😂
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On 11/19/2020 at 8:23 AM, gfron1 said:
I still struggle with this. 1) Cold room. 2) Proper temper. 3) Tempering my cocoa butter each use for spray or brush. 4) Alcohol polish. Not sure if all are needed or if I could let some of these habits go. I've had so many great teachers and they all do things a bit differently. Most lately I've been thinking that tempering my cocoa butter each time can be let go. Don't most of you just melt and shake?
I do not temper my cocoa butters and have 0 problems with shine and release.
I melt them in their bottles, let them cool down to about 32 celsius, shake them like crazy in the bottle for about a minute and then use.
For cleaning- dishwasher, and then alcohol with exfoliating rounds. I don't see much of a difference with/without alcohol in the molds that have round cavities, but in those that have some sort of detail (such as the skulls i did for halloween), I need it to really get everything out.
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my lazy way to deal with this is not using tape to actually seal all the connections to my airbrush, meaning that within less than a day after I finish using it the air has slowly leaked out (and I dont feel any impact on pressure while spraying) 🤣
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On 9/30/2020 at 4:05 PM, pastrygirl said:
I use Online Labels blank, pre-sized label sheets. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, you can print at home as needed. Definitely make sure to list any of the top allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, and soy are most common in chocolate items).
Do you have a website? An ecommerce site such as through Squarespace can calculate shipping charges for you. I buy small shipping boxes through Papermart, it is usually cheaper to use your own box than to ship USPS flat rate, unless you are sending something pretty heavy pretty far.
I have a website I am building on Wix (mmm-chocolate.com), not sure if they have that option, but will check, thank you!
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6 minutes ago, Jim D. said:
I tend to share the view of Kate Weiser, whose business is in Dallas:
😂😂😂
I just ordered some chocolates from her recently. Shipping was almost $30 and it arrived in perfect shape (but no way am I going to spend so much on her packaging to keep it cold)
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1 hour ago, Jim D. said:
Congratulations, and good luck. As for the specific questions:
Labels: I have two inclusions in each box: The main one has my contact information and a guide to the flavors (photo + description). Every box has the same guide, which I have "printed" (photocopied actually) on glossy paper at a print shop. The other item is the ingredient list. Our state requires ingredients and weight of product, so the latter will vary depending on the number of pieces. I print ingredient lists on my inkjet printer and cut them to size. Each label will include all ingredients, but I account for variation in flavor by saying "Depending on selection, contents may include any or all of the following:" At the end I state the weight (average) of the contents, which will vary for the various box sizes. And, of course, allergens must be listed as your state requires.
Shipping: So far I have resisted large-scale shipping because (frankly) it is so much trouble. The biggest issue I have noticed is that the bonbons can bounce against the top lid. To counteract that, I first cut a piece of waxed paper to fit inside the box, directly on top of the chocolates, then a few layers of bubblewrap (whatever it takes to fill the space), then the candy pad and the inserts mentioned above. I use a gold elastic loop that fits around the box and holds the lid down securely. The idea is that the lid must be tight but not so tight as to damage the chocolates. Then, if the weather is warm along the shipping route, I seal the box in a large plastic bag. I do not use ice because I have never received anything when ice was used (aside from dry ice) where it wasn't completely melted. So I don't ship when heat is a major factor. I place the box in a shipping carton, surrounded with crushed shipping paper (or bubblewrap). If a box is going to the eastern part of the U.S. (where I live), I do not use flat-rate USPS because it is more expensive; instead, I weigh the carton and ship it Priority Mail. To the rest of the country, I use USPS flat-rate boxes. It exhausts me to describe this process, and so I am reminded why I continue to resist shipping. As for charging, you can start with whatever you pay USPS and add as much as your conscience allows (I think those in retail often speak of "nuisance charges" when they don't really want to do something, so feel they deserve a reward for doing it). I should add that no one has ever reported damage to a bonbon using the shipping method above. But especially at holiday time, shipping is a bit of a gamble.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help, thank you! You have answered every single one of my questions and I can move forward now 😁
I am definitely small enough to be focusing on my area now, and don't want to get into this shipping nuisance, it's more of a one time thing- I belong to a foodies facebook group where I have been sharing a lot of my process setting things up and my chocolates, so a lot of people from outside my state have asked to purchase some (shows the value of very targeted marketing, even though that was not the intention 😂)- I will likely do a one time thing where I ship orders for anyone interested from that group and that's it.
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After taking a break from chocolate making for a few years, I am now back in full speed, and actually opened a chocolate business called mmm-chocolate (which is what my 2 year old says every time he sees me making chocolate
). Currently I have a permit for my residential kitchen and am working out of my house, offering pickup or local delivery in my area.
There are a couple of questions :Labels:
1. I am required to add an ingredients label for each product- since boxes can have different flavors, how can that be precise? Or should I just list all ingredients I use?
2. Any suggestions for how to print labels that doesn't cost a fortune? What I have looked at online is about $1 a sticker which is insane
Shipping- I am not looking to expand there yet, but I do want to send some boxes to a few people across the US1. Each chocolate is in its own cup, with a candy pad on top, inside a rigid box. What would you put the box in in order to send it?
2. For the future- how do you even price shipping costs- whatever USPS just says?
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13 hours ago, Jonathan said:
I had a bit of time this weekend so I thought I’d try to replicate Amaury Guichon’s Saturn, a tempered chocolate and blueberry cheesecake dessert. I learnt a lot of things. One, a 60 second instagram video does not a recipe make and two, I hate silicone with a passion. Didn’t really have a recipe so had to wing it based on looks, I’m sure it’s pretty different to the original but happy to write out the recipe if anyone is interested. Nevertheless, the fruits of my labour:
Wow, that is beautiful
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4 hours ago, Jim D. said:
If the purple color comes completely from luster dust, that is very impressive. What kind of chocolate is behind it? These are beautiful. Where do you get the luster dust?
My process (haven't done it in ages) is the same, but the color seemed to be absorbed, certainly did not show up like yours.
Completely luster dust (with painters tape for the line) and just dark chocolate backing it. I got the powders from bakedeco, and have never had an issue with them mixing with the chocolate
3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:I'm maintaining my brush in first stance
So just luster dust or cocoa butter?
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2 hours ago, SweetSymphonybyM said:
The air filter was badly dented, and there was air coming out of one spot (before any attachments were connected) - husband tightened it up and it became better, but still leaked...Btw, Husky is huge and LOUD...I got the 27 g one, and it's supposed to be only 5 decibels louder, but it is LOUD...hoping that because of its size it won't turn on often.
I just got my california air compressor after thankfully being stopped by jim at the last minute before buying a husky.
The husky is much louder, and weighs twice as much- i covered all the connections with painters tape per jim's recommendation, and it barely turns on while working. I highly recommend getting it replaced vs getting the husky
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1 hour ago, Jim D. said:
Welcome to eGullet.
That is an interesting idea. So you had no trouble with anything sticking to the mold when you unmolded the bonbon? I would be concerned that some gold flakes would stay in the mold and leave little holes behind. But it looks good. I've never had much luck with using luster dust and similar decorations--they are either invisible or melt into the chocolate.
Ive done quite a bit with luster dust till i got my airbrush- polish the cavities, brush the dust with a makeup brush and then pour chocolate- the ones in the photo are just luster dust, no CB.
What is your process?
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Cleaning and setting up Selmi enrobing line
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Thanks! How long would you say this whole thing takes for each stage?